Wine tasting at the Domaine de Gressac, in Verfeuil
- Par nbesse
- Le 01/08/2023
- Dans Local products & recipes
After our paper dedicated to the Domaine de Gressac's Spanish horse breeding farm, UzEssentiel editor is now delighted to welcome back its owner, Laurence Michelet, back to the pages of the blog in the Local product section this time, for the natural organic wines of the place.
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We adapt our vinifications to each harvest, each vineyard, because the grapes are physically different from one year to the next, depending in particular on the drought, spring rains, past winter... (Laurence Michelet)
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ENJOYING A TASTING SESSION
As well as breeding Spanish horses, you also run an organic vineyard...
When we took over the estate over 13 years ago. Then, we didn't even think to be working with vines but, in the end, we were so passionate about it that we got hooked to it.
My husband and I were talking about organic wine before we embarked on this adventure, but we really discovered it when we took over the estate, which had been organic since... well before the 1970s. Back then it was just a trend that was just beginning to be recognised.
The invaluable advice of the region's farmers and former owners get us little by little our foot in the door, and we learned the winegrowing trade with them.
What a better way to learn about wine than to follow its production from the culture of wine to bottling.
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The Domaine de Gressac follows the precepts of agricultural engineer Claude Bourguignon who said that "the soil need to be protected to preserve biodiversity".
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Is your Domaine labelled organic? What does that mean?
We have the AB (organic farming) label on our wines. This certifies that we respect both the soil (not using fertilisers or pesticides) and the vines. And, of course, it also emphasises the special care we take, from harvesting to pressing.
About the harvest, it is carried out by hand over a period of around 2 weeks. The 14 grape-pickers select the bunches, keeping only the grapes in good condition and placing them in small crates so as not to crush or injure them.
After letting the grapes spend a night in a cool place, we send them to the press, an operation that is carried out using a pneumatic press, very slowly and delicately, which ensures that the tannins of the wine are preserved. Only 10% sulphite is added, compared with current standards, and no chemical yeast. Everything is 100% natural.
Red, white and rosé, Gressac wines come in three colours.
Rouge sauvage, Fou de grenache, Madone, Lou Gressac, Rosé de Gressac. Not to mention the Blanc de Gressac and the Rosé de Gressac are the name of your wines.
The natural winegrowers of which we are a part love living wines above all, following the atmosphere, the cycles of the moon, the characteristics of the "terroir"... It's a commitment we share with our winemaker and cellar master, David Teyssier.
From the powerful Fou de grenache 100% grenache to the fresh Rosé de Gressac and L'or pâle, all our wines are the very reflexion of our work.
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The purplish tannat grape (tanat -> tannin, meaning tanned), coming from the Béarn region, is vigourous and rich in tannin. The white bourboulenc, sometimes found on your table at the end of the season, is one of the thirteen grape varieties that can be used in the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape...
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While our red wines combine Syrah, Grenache, Tannat and Mourvèdre, the rosé wines of Gressac combine fruity Syrah with Grenache.
For the whites, we taste the white grenache, clairette, roussanne and bourboulenc, a white grape variety common to the South of France...
You wish to discover them? We are looking forward to welcoming you in our cellar and sharing our passion with you!
Many thanks to Laurence Michelet for her collaboration to this article.
The right address: Domaine de Gressac, 958 chemin de Gressac, Verfeuil. Contact: info@gressac.com, Tel: 04 66 72 90 36
Where to find Domaine de Gressac wines.
Visuals@Saloméwithacamera.